Treatment of chickens with thyme essential oil for northern fowl mite control

The northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum, is a blood-feeding ectoparasite of chickens and other birds. In egg-laying chickens, mites can have detrimental effects to hen health and egg production. Northern fowl mite control has traditionally relied on the use of conventional acaricides. However, few products are approved for use in animal agriculture and acaricide resistance is a major problem on commercial farms. Thyme essential oil has been shown to kill northern fowl mite adults in in vitro assays. In Trial 1, chickens infested with northern fowl mites were treated with thyme essential oil formulated in DI water at one of two doses ("high" and "low" dose). Northern fowl mite populations were greatly reduced 1-week post-treatment after application with the high dose. The low dose did not impact northern fowl mite populations. In Trial 2, chickens with or without mites were treated with the high dose of the thyme essential oil mixture (or control). Chicken health, welfare, and behavior were tracked before and after each treatment.